#elizabethmeg

[elizabethmeg]

[midsummershack]

“As I went out one midsummer morning...”

It’s not a proper English folk song unless someone’s falling in love, complaining, being killed, or all three. At the same time. And most of these tales take place at the same time - midsummer. Why is this? Midsummer seems to be an evocative time of the year, and as the weather’s nicer, people are more likely to be out and about, meeting others and becoming embroiled in tragic - or comedic - affairs.

The above ballad is from the later 18th century and is a cautionary tale to all you young women not to heed the charms of men, especially when they promise to marry you.

Visit http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ and browse their collection of broadside ballads.

[midsummershack]

Midsummer Wappenschaw

1491: James IV of Scotland ordered that a wappenschaw take place four times a year, the first to be on midsummer. A wappenschaw is an inspection of men able to fight in a certain area, to show that they were properly armed. There were specific requirements for men of different stations:

“that each gentleman who has £10 worth of land or more is adequately furnished and armed with a basinet, sallet, metal hat, gorget or pisane, whole leg harness, sword, spear and dagger; and gentlemen who have a small amount of land or [are] unlanded shall be armed as far as possible according to the view and discretion of the sheriffs... and honest yeomen with sufficient power who choose to be men of arms shall be sufficiently furnished according to the discretion of the said sheriffs or commissioners; and all other yeomen of the realm between sixteen and sixty [years of age] shall have sufficient bows and sheaves, sword, buckler, knife, spear or good axe instead of the bow...”

Men who were not properly equipped were fined, with the amount of money increasing for each wappenschaw they ‘failed’.

James IV clearly wanted his people to be ready for fighting. Why play games when you should be learning archery?

“And further, that football, golf or other similar unprofitable sports are not to be played anywhere in the realm, but for the common good and defence of the realm the practice of shooting bows and archery butts are therefore ordained in each parish, under the pain of 40s to be raised by the aforesaid sheriff and bailies from each parish each year where it is found that archery butts or shooting practice is not done as is said.”